Mr. John R. Fitzgerald, Chief
of the U.S. Charts Section of the Aeronautical Charts Branch,
is retiring from the Service on January 30, 1954. Mr. Fitzgerald
entered this Bureau in May 1927 and compiled the Bureau’s
first aeronautical chart while assigned to the Airway Mapping
Section, which was then being organized. Since that time he
has been with the aeronautical charts continuously. His previous
government service started in 1918 with the Engineer Reproduction
Plant, U.S. Army Engineer Corps, where, in 1922, he as assigned
the duties of the compilation of air navigation maps.

When the aeronautical charting organization
was started in 1927 only a few employees were engaged in the
work. Since that time the expanding needs of civil and military
aviation have forced the growth of the old Airway Mapping Section
into the present Aeronautical Chart Branch, comprising four
sections with approximately 150 employees of which the U.S.
Charts Section alone has 50.

The growth of aviation and the development
of new aids to air navigation since 1927 have led to many changes
in the appearance of the charts. Beginning with the airway strip
map series (now grown to the Flight Chart) other series of charts
were soon to follow as the demand arose. Sectional, World, Local,
Direction Finding, Route, Planning, Radio Facility, Instrument
Approach and Landing and other miscellaneous charts were produced
under his direction.

Three other sections which are now a part of
this Branch had their origin and were developed under his direction.
They are the Air Navigation Facilities, Instrument Approach
and Landing, and the Special Charts Sections.

The continually changing requirements of aviation
in the past 26 years have presented many unusual charting problems
which have been successfully met by Mr. Fitzgerald during his
long and faithful service. He has kept himself abreast of new
aviation developments and has always been alert to opportunities
for improvement of aeronautical charts.

Inasmuch as charts are one of the chief contributions
to flight safety, Mr. Fitzgerald has played a very important
part in the increasing security of air traffic.